To Mend a Broken Heart
by theater104
Summary: Jack knew he was an accident. He knew he was broken. Katherine met him by accident. She knew she needed to fix him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So I know I should be working on IGM right now, but I came up with this idea a few days ago, and just couldn't help myself. So here's another multi chapter to add to my list of things that I need to work on. Really, it's the modern AU that everyone is going to be very mad at me for writing, and I will sob whenever I update. Enjoy!**

* * *

"No, Dad, I'm in the lobby. I was with Bill and Darcy, it's fine… Yeah, I'll be up in a few minutes… Kay, Dad… Bye..."

Katherine sighed, putting her phone back in her pocket. She didn't understand why her father was freaking out so much. It was four o'clock on a Friday afternoon, and she had told her mother that she was helping her friends with the school paper. _One more year, Plumber,_ she thought, _then you're off to Stanford._

Her acceptance letter had come a week ago, and although she had told her parents she had wanted to go there because of stellar academics and what-not, it was really because that was the farthest she could get away from New York and the closed minded people there. As much as she loved Bill and Darcy, if she had to listen to them talk about how the lower class in New York just aren't trying hard enough to get out from the bottom, she was going to smack somebody.

She walked briskly through the lobby, hearing her flats click against the tile floor. She could tell people were looking at her. How could they not look at her? Not only was she standing with a certain air that made people naturally drawn to her. Not only was she looking so proud with herself, but not quite so much that she was arrogant. The others in the apartment building knew exactly who she was, as much as she wanted to change it.

Katherine Pulitzer, daughter of Joseph Pulitzer, New York City's top attorney and Katherine Davis Pulitzer, New York City's top house wife. She tried to get her high school to put her byline, 'Plumber' on the roll call sheet, so teachers and other students wouldn't treat her differently, but to no avail. Everyone else at Union High School simply knew her as "Rich Miss Katherine."

 _One more year, Plumber_ , _then you're off to Stanford. One more year, and you're outta here. You can make it that long can't you?_

 _No, you probably can't._

As Katherine went to press the elevator button, she heard the sound of something ripping behind her, followed by a fast and constant thumping noise.

"Shit," someone muttered. Katherine turned around. A boy her about her age was frantically picking up a pile of notebooks and loose leaf sheets of paper, his canvas bag ripped at the seams and discarded on the floor.

"Here," Katherine said, kneeling down to help the boy pick up his belongings. "lemme help."

The boy looked at her with wide brown eyes, as if confused by the fact that _anyone_ would want to help him. Katherine met his eyes. She tried to hold back a gasp of shock, but just couldn't.

A large bruise was forming on the boy's left eye, another one on the side of his neck. The boy had tried to cover it up with the ragged scarf he had been wearing, but Katherine could see it clear as day.

"They don't hurt," said the boy quickly. "It was an accident."

Katherine didn't know if she should believe him or not, but she decided not to press him. Seeing the boy relax his tensed shoulders slightly proved to her that she had made the right choice.

She picked up one of the small notebooks that had flown open. Her eyes darted down to the open page, but she quickly looked back up to the boy.

"Ya' can look if ya' want," the boy whispered, picking up the rest of his things.

Katherine looked at the page closer. She realized the notebook paper wasn't lined. It wasn't a notebook. It was a sketch book.

The picture depicted a girl with flowing pencil drawn hair and dark gray shaded eyes. She was wearing a pearl necklace and a dress that seemed to belong in the early 1900s. The drawn girl certainly looked beautiful, but there was this look on her face that almost ruined the picture. Her eyes had none of the childlike sparkle Katherine knew most young girls had. The girl had no dimpled cheeks, no sweet smile. She looked so sad, so forlorn, down right depressed.

"She's beautiful," Katherine breathed, "but why is she so sad?"

The boy shrugged, "Maybe because she's got nothin' to smile about."

When Katherine looked back to the boy in front of her, she noticed that he had the same sorrow in his dark eyes.

She stood up, still holding some of the boy's books, and pressed the elevator. When it dinged a few seconds later, she and the boy slipped into the elevator.

"That's no way to go about life," Katherine watched the boy press the button for floor 19.

"It's the only way I've grown up," the boy replied simply. "What floor?"

"Oh, I'm on the same one," Katherine cut in. She wasn't about to tell the boy that she lived in the penthouse of the building. She could tell the boy didn't believe her, but he stayed silent. The elevator ride was filled with an uncomfortable silence that Katherine wouldn't have. "I'm Katherine, by the way."

"Jack," for the first time, Katherine saw a small smile creep up on the boy's face. "Jack Kelly. You?"

"Katherine… Plumber." She finished lamely, biting her lip, hoping he wouldn't notice her hesitation.

"What's the matter, ain't ya' sure?" Katherine felt a blush rising in her cheeks.

"It's my byline, the name I publish under," The boy raised an eyebrow. "I write for my school paper."

"Cool," The elevator opened. Jack stepped out, Katherine following him to the room 26A. Jack pulled out a key, but before he could put it in the keyhole, the door opened.

"Where have you been?" A man said, glaring at Jack. Katherine watched as whatever feeling of relaxation she had seen in him disappear in a flash.

"Sorry sir," Jack mumbled, taking his books from Katherine. "My bag ripped."

"Well, get inside." Jack nodded to Katherine, sliding into the apartment. The man scowled after before noticing Katherine. "And who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Katherine," she said quickly, "I live a few rooms down."

The man snickered, slamming the door in Katherine's face.

"It was nice to meet you too," She muttered, going back to the elevator and hitting the button to the 30th floor.

* * *

 _A handful of teenagers are thought of as popular. They're known to crave attention, and are careless and don't think about consequences. To truly understand the effect of this seemingly simple social practice, one needs to get opinions from someone at the end of the spectrum of popularity._

Stretching her back, Katherine smiled appreciatively at her work. Twenty minutes, and three drafts later, she had pulled out a decent lead for her article. _Just wait until Darcy reads this one! It's sure to make it into the paper this week._

"Katherine?" She looked up from her laptop to hear her mother calling her. "Why is there a sketchbook on the counter with the rest of your homework?"

 _Sketchbook?_ It dawned on Katherine what that meant. _Whoops._

"I'm coming," She called, going into the living room and picking up Jack's sketchbook.

"May I ask why you have a sketchbook?" Mrs. Pulitzer asked. Katherine was already opening the door when she replied.

"It's a friend's who lives downstairs," Katherine said, making sure her cell phone was in her pocket.

"Which friend?" Mrs. Pulitzer went after her, but Katherine didn't reply.

She pressed the elevator button to level 19, going back to Jack's apartment. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice, making sure not to be too loud.

"Katherine," Jack opened the door. Katherine stared at him, so scared she lost her voice. "Whaddaya' doin' here?"

If she thought Jack looked bad back in the lobby, he looked downright terrible now. His lip was split open. Another bruise was forming, and a large red mark from what Katherine guess was a smack was screaming on Jack's cheek.

"Oh my god," Katherine whispered. Jack looked away from her. "Jack, did your father-"

"He's not my father," Jack snapped. "And I'm fine."

"No you're not," Katherine bit her lip. "Jack, are you okay?"

"What did ya' want, Katherine?" Jack asked, ignoring everything Katherine had just said.

"I… uh… was coming to return this," She held out the sketchbook for him to take. When Jack reached for the book, Katherine saw red rims around his wrist like the skin was rubbed raw. Choking back another gasp of surprise, she let go of the sketchbook.

"Thanks," Jack murmured. "I'll see you tomorrow in the lobby?"

"It's a date!" Katherine exclaimed, then covered her mouth, "I didn't mean-"

Smirking slightly, Jack began to close the door, "-I know whatcha meant."

"Jack!" The man inside barked from behind the door, making Jack jump. "Come inside!"

Making an apologetic glance in Katherine's direction, Jack slid inside.

"Good bye," She whispered.

When he closed the door, an angry yell came from inside. _"What did she want?"_

Katherine stopped. She knew she should go back to the elevator, but she pressed her ear against the door.

 _"It was just Katherine from down the hall,"_ Jack said, his voice so soft Katherine almost couldn't hear it. _"She was returning my sketchbook."_

 _"Did you say anything to her?"_

 _"No sir."_

 _"You're lying," Katherine heard a sharp sound and Jack cry out. She stifled back a scream._

 _"I'm not," Jack's voice was sort of hoarse. "I promise, sir, I didn't say anything to her!"_

 _"You're lying!" Another sharp sound. Another cry in pain._

 _"Don't, please!" Jack begged, "I didn't do anything, stop it!"_

 _"_ _You little bastard," The man yelled, I'll kill you!_ I'll kill you! _"_

Katherine heard a scream from inside the room, one that didn't sound like any of the others. She ran to the staircase, dialing her cell phone.

" _911, what is your emergency?"_ Came the static voice on her phone.

"My name is Katherine Pulitzer," Katherine said quickly, running down the staircase. "I'm calling to report a child abuse case."

" _Alright, Miss Pulitzer. Can you tell me where you are?"_

"There's a man in apartment 26A in Starveling Towers, a seventeen year old boy lives there with him, and I think he is going to be killed."

" _Someone will be there soon, Miss."_

"Hurry!" Katherine practically screamed into the phone.

The police were already in the lobby when Katherine got down all the flights of stairs. She ran to one of the officers, a woman in a crisp suit jacket.

"I'm the one who called," She said to the woman. "I think he might be dead!"

"You need to calm down, Miss," The woman held Katherine's shoulder. "My team is already up there."

In few minutes later, a group of young people ran past Katherine and the woman, pushing a stretcher with the same boy Katherine had met that day, his chest bleeding.

"Whoever did this is gone," Someone said, but Katherine couldn't register who. She ran after the stretcher, but was held back by the woman in the jacket.

"Jack!" Katherine screamed, sobbing.

The woman took Katherine's hand, "You can ride in the car with me, or stay here. Thank you for the help."

Katherine wiped her eyes, leaving with the woman. She watched in horror as the paramedics lifted Jack in the ambulance, and shut him off.

She climbed into the car next to the woman, who rubbed her shoulder. "You're boyfriend will be okay, Miss, I promise."

Katherine was too terrified to correct her.

* * *

 ***Laughs nervously* Heh heh... Oops... Sorry...?**

 **It may seem weird that Pulitzer is a lawyer right now, but it will make sense soon, don't worry. And Mrs. Pulitzer was actually named Katherine Davis, so that's cool. Anyway, review please and thank you. If you want to see anything come out of my hidey hole of Fanfiction, please let me know!**

 **Newsies forever, second to none!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I couldn't help myself! I really wanted to post this next chapter, but ended up crying at the end. So... this should be fun... I'm sorry in advance you guys.**

* * *

Before Jack opened his eyes, he heard a steady beeping. He soon realized it's the sound of a heart monitor. He could feel IVs hooked up to him, and could smell the sickly clean that only of a hospital.

He should know the scent well. Jack had spent hours in a hospital with his mother during her labor, only for her to give birth to a stillborn child. Jack Kelly would've had a little brother… But both he and his mom were taken from him before Jack could even walk to the supermarket alone.

Not long after, he was back in the hospital, watching the light leave his father's eyes. The cancer in him had spread too much for him to be treated. If only he hadn't smoked as much as he did. Jack vowed from then on never to touch a cigarette for as long as he lived.

He was put into the foster care system not long after, and given to this nice family, with a boy his age named David, and in no time they were partners in crime. As eight year old boys, the two would get into all sorts of trouble, but good things can't last.

He had to be sent away. He didn't want to be, but he had to. The Jacobs were expecting another child, and three seemed to be a crowd. Jack didn't want to leave David behind, but he would do what the state told him to. He would never trust the state again.

Not after they sent him to live with Snyder.

By age 10, Jack had been sent to live with Warren Snyder. At first, it seemed Snyder was just drunk a lot, but then it became apparent that he was abusive, and made many death threats. Jack had received twelve before his thirteenth birthday. The only 'gifts' he ever got were going to bed an evening without a beating because Snyder had passed out from too much whiskey.

Opening his eyes, Jack blearily stared at the pristine white wall across from his bed, and it registered that he had bandages wrapped around his midsection. Remembering the events that had taken place, Jack winced at the memory. Snyder had tried to kill him for talking to Katherine, and the rest was black.

"J-Jack?" A hoarse whisper came from beside his bed, "Oh my god, you're okay."

Struggling to turn, Jack saw a mane of auburn curls, followed by bloodshot hazel eyes. There was the pretty girl, Katherine, who he had met the other day. She looked like a mess, with big black bags under her eyes, and dry, cracked lips. By the looks of it, she hadn't eaten, drank, or slept in a few days.

"Katherine? Wha-whatcha doin' here?" He found his voice and coughed, "Wha-?"

She shushed him, and eased him back to a comfortable position, "I needed to make sure you were alright. I-I needed to see you were okay." Katherine stroked his hair, before retracting her hand, "Oh, I'm sorry." She had turned red, and Jack smiled to the best of his ability.

"It's fine. It- it reminds me of what my mom used to do."

Then, shyly, Katherine moved her hand back, running her hands through his hair. "You need to sleep," She soothed, "You need your rest."

Sleep sounded nice… A long, quiet nap… But first, he had to know something.

"What happened to Snyder?"

"Who's Snyder?"

Jack grimaced, "The guy who did this to me. Warren Snyder. He's my foster father."

Katherine grabbed a pen and paper, and jotted down the name, "Do you have any information on his possible location as of two days ago?"

"Who's this little reporter?" He tried to smirk, but it turned to a stab of pain.

"Well, I'll have ya' know that I publish in my school paper," Katherine looked very triumphant.

"Yeah, okay, Plumber," Jack said.

"Well… I write _for_ the school paper, haven't been published yet… but I will!"

There was a knock on the door. "Excuse me, may I speak to Jack alone?"

Katherine nodded, giving Jack a half hearted smile and leaving the hospital room.

"Hello, Jack," the woman in the suit jacket said. "I'm Detective Hannah LaMointe and I'd like to ask you a few questions if that is okay with you."

Jack shrugged, "Sure, I guess."

"Great," Hannah pulled up a chair next to Jack's bed. "So, Jack, do you know who did this to you?" Jack nodded. "Can you tell me who?"

"My foster dad, Warren Snyder."

"Can you tell me what he looks like?"

Jack thought for a second, "Graying hair, brown eyes, about 6 foot 2, and has a scar on his left cheek."

"That great, Jack." Hannah jotted some notes down. "Now, can you tell me exactly what happened to you Friday afternoon?"

"I was in the living room finishing my homework, and Katherine knocks on my door. She was returning a sketchbook I had dropped in the lobby, and I had a talk with her. Um… _he_ kinda pulled me back inside and thought that I had told Katherine about… about…"

"About what, Jack?"

"About _this_ ," Jack gestured to his bruised face, "He thought I had told Katherine what he did."

"So you mean to say this has happened before?" Jack nodded. "What sort of things has he done?"

"Usually just has a belt or a bottle, but when he gets really angry he…" Jack stopped. He couldn't say it.

Hannah seemed to understand, "Alright, Jack, the doctors are going to have to run a few tests. I'll be back in a bit."

Jack waited until Hannah closed the door behind him to begin crying.

* * *

Katherine saw Hannah leaving, and she jumped up from her chair in the waiting room.

"Is he-?"

Hannah gave Katherine a sad expression, "Miss Katherine. I must inform you Jack is a… special circumstance. We'll have to run some unique tests on him, because of his… situation. You can be with him until the doctors come in."

She slowly pushed the door open, to then hear quiet crying noises coming from his hospital bed. Standing in the doorway, Katherine watched Jack Kelly sob into his pillow, his body racked with tears. She could see it was painful to cry, but he couldn't stop. Backing away, Katherine spun on her heel and ran into the long corridor. She stopped by the nurses lab, hand covering her mouth.

From the room came Hannah's voice, "-And I think we'll have to run a _SAFE kit_ -"

"What's a _SAFE kit_?" Katherine asked before she could stop herself. The nurse Hannah had been talking to stiffened up. When no one answered, Katherine asked again. "What's a SAFE kit?"

"I'm very sorry, Katherine," Hannah looked genuinely upset. "A SAFE kit stands for sexual assault forensic evidence kit. We have reason to believe that Jack's foster father did more than Jack has told us. We need to run it on him before we can continue the case."

"You mean… Jack might have been… He was… Oh my god!" Katherine sat down. She barely knew Jack, but this had to be too much for him, for _anyone_ , to handle. _Why him?_ She wondered. _What on earth could he have done to deserve that?_

"Katherine," Hannah gently sat down next to her, "I take it you've known Jack for awhile?"

Katherine shook her head. "I met him two days ago. I… I just don't understand why anyone would do that to him."

"You only met him two days ago?" Hannah repeated. Katherine nodded. "You seem to care an awful lot about someone you met two days ago."

"Well-"

"Katherine!" A booming voice echoed through the halls. Katherine looked up and sighed, knowing who the loud voice belonged to. "What are you doing here?"

"I drove here, Dad," Mr. Pulitzer looked at Katherine with anger flashing in his eyes. Katherine stood up definitely. "I told Mom that I was going to visit Jack again."

"You've been here for way too long already," Mr. Pulitzer shifted his gaze to Hannah, his normally stoney face becoming even colder. "Detective LaMointe, I didn't know _you_ were taking this case."

"Counselor," Hannah replied just as curtly. "I didn't know you had such a lovely daughter. She must take after her mother."

Katherine couldn't hide the laugh that escaped from her. Pulitzer scowled at Hannah, taking Katherine's shoulders and guiding her away. "Come on, Katherine."

"Wait," Katherine rolled out of her father's grasp. "At least let me say good bye to Jack."

"You still have homework to finish Katherine," Mr. Pulitzer warned.

"I don't think saying good bye is going to waste any more time, don't you think counselor?" Hannah girlishly batted her eyelashes at Pulitzer, voice sickly sweet.

Katherine smiled, heading back to Jack's room.

* * *

Jack's conversation with Katherine was short lived before she was ushered away from the bed by her father. Her last wave to him was solemn, as if she knew something that Jack didn't.

Hannah had the doctors run a " _safe kit"_ on him. She had asked Jack for his permission to do it, and although he didn't know what it was, he went along with it. It hadn't hurt, but it was sort of uncomfortable. He had no idea what to expect when Hannah entered his room once more, holding a piece of paper.

"Jack," She sat down at the chair next to his bed. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to answer me honestly. Can you do that for me?"

Jack was getting nervous, "What's going on?"

"Jack, the test we ran on you came back with some upsetting results. But I have to ask you, did Snyder ever take advantage of you?"

"Whaddaya' mean, Miss Hannah?" He said slowly, wrapping his arms around himself like he could shield himself from Hannah's questions.

"You know what I mean, Jack." Jack looked up at her with tear brimmed eyes. He did know what she meant.

"I… I tried… But he… he…" He curled himself into a ball, ignoring the pain from his aching muscles. Jack cradled himself in his arms, rocking back and forth and crying.

That was all Hannah needed to know.

* * *

 **And that would be why I am sorry. That was legit painful to write, I'm crying right now. Sorry if you are too. Anyways, next chapter of either this or IGM will be up in the next few days, so I will see you then! Adios, mis amigos!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I don't know about you, but I am really loving this story. A lot of new characters were added to this chapter. Some you know, other came from my brain and those of my friends. But I digress. Here's chapter three!**

* * *

If it were up to Katherine, she would go to the hospital and talk to Jack every afternoon after school. Not because she didn't have anything better to do than go hang out with Jack, but she had a feeling that if she didn't go talk to him, no one was going to. But, much to her annoyance, Pulitzer had made his disapprovement very clear.

"You have to keep your grades up," He reminded her for the third time that Monday morning when she got in her car. "Stanford needs you."

 _Right now, I think Jack needs me more than some college._ She wanted to say, but instead just rolled her eyes and closed the car door.

School had been absolutely abysmal. Usually, Katherine was the most energetic learner in all seven of her periods, but today, her mind kept going back to Jack lying in a hospital bed, and IV hooked to his arm and the constant beep of a heart monitor. Her thoughts kept floating back to the boy she saw crying uncontrollably.

"Katherine," Darcy tapped on her shoulder. "Where are you today?

"Oh, sorry," She replied, taking her laptop out of its magenta sleeve. "My mind is like a million miles away."

"May I ask why?" Bill asked, pulling up next to Darcy behind Katherine's shoulder.

"One of my friends is in the hospital," She confided in them.

"Who?" Darcy slid into the chair next to her, resting his head in his hand.

"Uh… Jack Kelly," A look of confusion washed over the two boys' faces. "You probably don't know him." Katherine added quickly.

"I've heard plenty about him," Darcy looked nervous. "He was in the papers a few years ago. Arrested for running from his foster family and attacking an officer."

Katherine stared at Darcy in utter shock, "J-Jack was arrested?"

Darcy nodded seriously. "Kath, how do you know _him_?"

"He lives a few floors down from me."

Bill paled. "You mean you live in the same building as a criminal?"

"Jack isn't a criminal!" Katherine protested. "You don't know anything about him!"

"My dad _owns_ the newspaper that the story was printed in, Katherine," Bill reminded her. "You think they would embellish something like that?"

"Haven't you heard of yellow journalism?" Katherine retorted, shooting daggers at her so called friends.

The bell rang loudly, signaling the day was over. Katherine picked up her bag without looking back.

She slammed her locker shut, feeling pent up rage bubbling up inside her. As she went to leave the school, Katherine overheard a conversation that made her want to burst.

"He deserved what he got, the bastard," A voice behind her sneered.

"If only Snyder had just killed him; he would have done the entire world a favor."

Katherine wheeled around. Two boys she knew from gym class were behind her, and she knew exactly who they were talking about.

"You don't get to talk about Jack like that!" She pointed her finger at the taller of the two boys. "You have no idea what happened to him! He could have died, and you should just shut your mouth before someone slams a fist into it!"

"And who is gonna do that?" The smaller boy smirked. "You?"

"No, me," Another voice caught Katherine's attention.

Three girls stood behind the two boys. They were a mismatched group, all different heights and hair colors. The girl on the left, with braided caramel hair and key around her neck, stared at the boys with flashing green eyes. The girl on the right, whose mousy brown hair was in a semi tangled mess falling just past her shoulder, had an eyebrow raised behind black eyeglasses. The shortest girl, with a shiny star pendant and unruly black bob tamed by a slouchy gray beanie, was frowning, hands shoved on her hips. With a controlled snap of her fingers, the short dark-haired girl snarled at the boys,

"Hey, Delanceys? Why not keep ya' hands to yourself." And then, she lunged to them, and they scrambled backwards.

"You little-" The two boys were cut off by the girls on the right and left stepping toward them, raising their fists as if to punch them. The boys squealed like they were about to die and ran out of the school. Katherine watched them go, and the girls relaxed their tensed frames, laughing.

Katherine quirked an eyebrow, "Who are you?"

The dark haired one raised a hand, "Stars,"

"Scout," The glasses girl spoke.

Snapping back into reality, the girl with braided hair giggled, "And Keys!" Stars playfully slapped Keys in the arm.

"Um… I'm Katherine," Katherine said awkwardly.

"Oh, we know!" Scout said quickly. "Jack talks about you _a lot_."

Katherine was surprised. "You three know Jack?"

"Course," Stars said, fiddling with her star. "All of us know the famous Jack Kelly."

"All of who?"

Keys chuckled quietly. Katherine could tell she loved to laugh, and Stars quickly shut her up with a " _Keys!"_ And a sharp jab to her hip.

"Okay okay. But I thought it was funny!" Keys flipped a braid off her shoulder.

"A bunch of Jack's friends live over at the lodging house," Scout explained, pushing her slipping glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "That's what they call it anyway."

" _Who_?" Katherine repeated.

"C'mon, we'll show ya'," Stars said, adjusting the strap of her grungy messenger bag. "The boys love havin' guests."

"I don't know…" Katherine tucked a stray piece of hair behind her hair. "My father wants me home ASAP…"

"Ya' don't seem like someone who always obeys your father," Stars observed, grinning at Katherine. She smiled back.

"I'll just say I was at journalism club," She said, walking out with the other three girls.

"Isn't Anna gonna notice that we're gone?" Keys asked, looking worried. Stars rolled her eyes at her friend.

"If ya' wanna go home, ya' can. But I think Finch'll wanna see ya'." Stars winked at Keys, who blushed furiously.

"C'mon, love," Scout said, taking Keys' hand.

"We can take my car," Katherine offered. "If you tell me where to go."

"You have your own car?" Keys squealed. " _Stars_. She has her own car!"

Stars rolled her dark eyes, and nodded to Katherine, "We'll tell ya'. Just start drivin', doll."

After many wrong turns, Scout began to quietly whisper the right turns to Katherine, who hid a grin. These girls were the funniest group she'd ever met. They were all so different, yet they worked together seamlessly.

"Here we are," Stars pointed to a brick building, with a faded green door. It looked like a friendly enough place when it was at its prime. _Probably in the early 1900s,_ Katherine thought to herself.

In the front yard, there was a group of boys playing football, and two sitting off to the side, one chewing gum loudly, the other silently surveying the pack. A happy looking woman was sitting in a rocking chair, playing vaudeville style music from her cell phone, while singing along.

When the girls hopped out of Katherine's car, the gum boy came over and hugged Stars.

"Hey, cutie," He booped her nose, and she gave him a withering look.

"Call me cutie and you die." The boy just laughed, and kissed her forehead. "This idiot is Race, and that's Finch." Stars pointed to the sandy haired boy who kissed her, and next to a Filipino boy who was leaning against a tree, flirting shyly with Keys.

Katherine stared at the crowd, watching the boys interact happily, as if they were brothers. One short boy sidled up to her and winked.

"Hi there, Miss." The boy wiggled his eyebrows.

Smirking, Katherine tilted her head, "Get lost, Romeo."

" _She knows my name!_ " He whispered fiercely to his friends. They just shook their heads, play fighting and joking around easily. She felt a smile grace her face, and Katherine saw the woman stand, and walk over to her.

"Hello there, darling." The woman squeezed Katherine tightly, "Who might you be, coming with the troublesome trio?"

Stars scrunched up her nose, "That's what we are to you, Miss Medda? 'The troublesome trio'? How rude!"

This 'Miss Medda' smiled widely, her dark skin shining in the sunlight, "Well, you do have a reputation to be of the rambunctious sort."

Keys walked over, with Finch dragged behind her, "Miss Medda, am I rambunctious too?"

Medda rolled her eyes and patted Keys on the head, "Yes, my darling. Now, you and your sweet lil boyfriend have my permission to go get the boys some lemonade. It's in the fridge."

The girl bounced back to the house, braids flying behind her. Stars sighed, watching Katherine giggle, "That's Keys for ya'. She's a nervous Nelly, and not the sharpest crayon in the box. But we love her anyways."

"Hey, Stars," Scout said, crossing to the front door, "I'm gonna go catch up on some stuff, 'kay?"

"'Kay, love," Stars winked at her friend, "Tell Crutchie I say hi."

Scout's laugh became really high pitched, "What…! I'm not- That's not why I was- Whaddaya' talkin- I'll tell him ya' say hi…"

The dark haired girl leaned up against Katherine's silver Prius, running a hand through her hair. "So, Katherine, howdya' like the Lodging house?"

Stars followed Scout inside. She turned back and called to Katherine over her shoulder, "Feel free to look around. Imma go hang with the resident idiot here."

"I heard that!" A voice yelled from inside the house.

"Love ya' too!" Stars laughed, closing the door behind her.

Katherine turned to Medda, "Well, I think it's awesome. The boys seem like a handful though."

Medda chortled heartily and wiped fake sweat off her brow, "Whew, they are, lemme tell you. When Jojo had his birthday, Henry baked a cake, and Buttons got into the sugar… That took a week to clean up."

"Wow. You do such a great job with them," Katherine grinned, "Would you mind-?" She gestured to the staircase.

"Be my guest, sugar pie."

Katherine walked up the stairs, and slipped into the largest room. It was filled with bunk beds of all sizes, and clothes were littered across the floor in a manner only known to boys. There were baseballs and books alike, haphazardly scattered on the beds. She turned right back around though, because Scout and a boy with a crutch were talking, and it looked serious. She caught a few fragments as she left.

"... Hospital… She stayed with… Do ya' think…?"

Opening the door to another room, she smelled sweet flowery perfume. The walls were covered in loud pink paint, with posters of old movies. The bed looked large and cushiony. _This must be Miss Medda's room._ She thought, _It certainly has her flair and style._ There were beads and strings of fake pearls lying everywhere. To Katherine, it looked like the aftermath of a Mardi Gras party.

Not wanting to pry, Katherine walked out, and slowly went into the last room. It had two bunk beds, and had a few piles of sketchbooks. Opening one, she noticed the drawings inside were of the boys.

There was one of Race blowing a bubble, looking very cross-eyed, and another of the boy with the crutch. He was sleeping peacefully, and he seemed to be breathing through the picture.

One other picture was of the three girls. Stars was standing in the middle, hands on her hips, giving the artist a sassy look. Scout was on the left, pushing her glasses up on her nose, sweet smile playing on her mouth, and Keys was twirling a braid in her fingers, staring off into space. They looked so life-like, Katherine was almost surprised when they didn't start talking to her.

"This is Crutchie's room." Medda's voice made Katherine drop the book, "He shares it with Albert and Mush, but Jack stayed here for a bit. Crutchie couldn't bear to clear his stuff out."

She nodded, "I can see why. They must've been such good friends."

"Oh they were! Crutchie kept Jack outta trouble, I'll tell you that. Jack… he looked out for Crutchie the way no one else did. Only one to every coax him out of his shell. Now, Crutchie's one of the happiest kids here."

Katherine sat on the cool wood floor, and listened to Medda's soothing voice. "Miss Medda, how do you know Jack Kelly?"

Medda's cheerful demeanor faltered, "There's not very much anyone seems to know about Jack. He didn't stay here for very long."

"Was he really arrested?"

Medda nodded seriously, "He was. Pretty much every boy here was, for all the wrong reasons."

"What reasons?"

"They ran away from their foster homes. It's like running away from prison. Once you're in foster care, you belong to the state."

"Then why are all the boys here and not in juvie?"

"The boys around here," Miss Medda gestured to the boys that were laughing just outside the door, "These are the ones that the state knows wouldn't survive there. They send 'em to me instead."

"Why did Jack have to leave?"

Medda sighed, "The man Jack was staying with seemed determined to keep him. He pulled some strings and got him back. I haven't seen him in years."

"He's in the hospital, Miss Medda," Katherine said softly. Medda looked at her with wide eyes. "That man, Snyder… he almost killed him."

* * *

 _Snyder came closer and closer to me, the kitchen knife in his hand seeming a whole lot scarier than it usually did._

 _"I-I didn't do anythin'!" I tried to protest. He grabbed my wrist and shoved me against the wall. "Please! I didn't do nothin', I-"_

 _"What did I tell you about running away?" Snyder spat in my face, sliding the wide side of the knife slowly down my cheek. He hadn't cut me yet, but I knew he was going to._

" _I-I'm sorry, sir," I stuttered, tears falling down my cheeks. He slashed the knife across my forearm._

 _I screamed._

" _Real men don't cry," He said, letting go of my wrist. I collapsed on the floor, cupping the cut on my arm gently. He raised the knife higher._

" _No!" I screamed, shielding my face, "Please! No!"_

"Jack! Please, wake up! Jack!" Someone was shaking Jack gently. His eyes flew open, terrified. His vision was fuzzy, and although he couldn't see who was talking to him, the voice was clear in his mind.

"Davey?"

* * *

 **And there we go! I added Stars and some other OCs into the story just for the heck of it, and I thought it might be able to make it work. I hope it did...**

 **Thanks to CassieKeys and NewsieGirlScout for letting me use Keys and Scout in this! I hope I did you're newsgirls justice. I also realize that I sort of created the "Schuyler Newsies," but c'mon, that sounds freaking awesome!**

 **Anyways, please review! I'm on spring break right now, so I'll hopefully be able to update quickly. Till next time, my dears! :)**

 **Newsies forever, second to none!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm back! So sorry I haven't been online in forever, but shit was happening. I was super busy over the summer getting ready for boarding school. (Yes, I go to boarding school. No, it's not because I'm a bad kid. It's an arts school called Interlochen, and for the first time since like second grade, I love school.) But enough about my excuses. Chapter 4 here we go!**

* * *

Jack's eyes cleared. A pale sixteen year old boy with combed back black hair and haunting black eyes laced with worry stared back at him. His plaid shirt was slightly rumpled, which Jack found very surprising. He had never seen a time when David Jacobs hadn't looked crisp and perfectly clean.

"Jack, oh my gosh," Davey sighed. "Are you alright?"

Jack's voice threatened to fail him, "Da-Davey?" He choked out. Davey ran a hand through his hair, watching Jack closely. "Whaddaya' doin' here?"

"Stars called me," He knelt down next to Jack's bed. "She... She told me what happened. I'm so sorry."

"Ya' got nothin' to be sorry about," Jack turned away from Davey. He hated to admit it, but he was still mad at the Jacobs for leaving him behind. He didn't expect to ever see his old "brother" ever again.

"I know you're upset, Jack. You could have told us," Davey said gently. "We could have helped you."

"No ya' couldn't," Jack whispered. "No one could've."

"That isn't true, Jack. You know I would have been right there if you called me."

Sure ya' would've. Jack thought bitterly. "Dave, it's okay. Really."

"No it isn't!" Davey threw his hands in the air exasperatedly. "Jack, you know my parents would have done everything to get you back and-"

"Davey?" A voice asked at the door. Jack looked up. A young boy stood in the doorway, fiddling with his hands nervously. "Can I come in now?"

"Sure, Les," Davey waved the young boy inside.

So that was Les. The little boy who had replaced Jack in the Jacobs family. Jack felt himself harden up. He didn't want to meet the reason his life ended.

"Hi," Les stuck out a small skinny arm for Jack to take. "I'm Les."

Jack took Les' hand, shaking it. "Hiya, Les," He looked at Davey expectantly. "How old are ya' anyway?"

Les grinned, "I'm ten... almost..."

The hard feeling inside of Jack melted away. He wanted so hard to be mad at the little boy, but after meeting him for the first time, he just couldn't.

"What a great age to be, ten almost," Jack smiled, winking. Les' grin grew. Davey seemed to relax. It seemed he was also waiting for Jack to push away his little brother.

"Why are you here, Jack?" Les asked innocently. Davey paled. Jack's smile faded, past events flashing before his eyes.

"Les-" Davey warned.

"Dave, it's fine," Jack interrupted, staring at his hands. "I'm here because I got hurt, Les. Someone hurt me."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Les said. Jack was thankful that the little boy hadn't asked him how he was hurt or who had hurt him. He wasn't sure how he would have answered.

"Jack?" There was a knock at the door.

"Hi, Detective LaMointe," Jack managed to give Hannah a weak smile.

"Would you mind if I spoke with you privately?" Hannah asked, stepping into the room. Jack simply nodded.

"I'll see you later then, Jack," Davey took Les by the hand. "Call me if you want to talk."

"Sure," Jack waved limply. "See ya' later, Davey. Bye, Les," He smiled at Davey's little brother.

"Good bye, Jack! I hope you feel better!" Les waved brightly.

Hannah waited until the two boys had rounded the corner to the lobby to begin speaking. "They seem nice. The little one is very cute."

"What is it, Miss LaMointe?" Jack asked apprehensively. He didn't want anymore bad news.

"I called Miss Larkin a few minutes and she said that your old bed is still empty. You will be staying with her and her boys until we can find somewhere else to..."

"To put me?" Jack supplied stiffly.

"Jack, that is not what I meant, I-"

"I know what you meant, Detective," He cut her off. Hannah sighed.

"Miss Larkin will be here at 7:00 to pick you up. And she has my phone number in case something happens." She turned to go.

"Hannah?" Jack reached out a hand to stop Hannah from leaving.

"Yes, Jack?"

"Have..." Jack gripped his bedsheets tightly. "Have you found him yet?"

Hannah paused, then shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Jack."

 _They're not gonna find him._ Jack thought. _He's gonna slip away again._

Tears were once again pricking his eyes, and he didn't try to stop them.

* * *

 _14-year-old Runaway Caught and Awaiting Sentence._

Katherine read the headline, not knowing if she should believe it or not. The Jack that she had met in the lobby didn't seem like some runaway or criminal. Although, the article was three years old. Maybe he had just changed a lot since then.

Her phone dinged. Katherine picked it up quickly, expecting it was a text from Darcy or Bill asking her about the homework. It wasn't though. It was a text from Stars. Katherine let out a sigh of relief.

 _FROM: STARS_

 _Hey love. Jack is gonna be living with Medda for awhile, and we're having a party to celebrate him coming back to the lodging house. You're welcome to join us if you want. Lemme know if you're in._

Katherine smiled. At least Jack was going to be back with his friends and away from the hospital.

 _TO: STARS_

 _Love to. What time?_

 _FROM: STARS_

 _7:30 till 11_

 _TO: STARS_

 _Yeah, I'll be there._

 _FROM: STARS_

 _Coolsies! See ya there!_

"Katherine?" Her father knocked on her door. Katherine panicked, turning off her cell phone and pulling up another tab over the article on her laptop.

"Come in," Her voice jumped up the octave. Her father slipped into her room. She smoothed out her skirt, turning around to face Mr. Pulitzer. "What is it, Dad?

Pulitzer cleared his throat, standing as if he had a metal pole stuck up his back. "I would like to know exactly what your relationship with that Jack boy is."

Katherine furrowed her eyebrows confusedly. "Why do you want to know?"

Pulitzer sighed, sitting down on Katherine's bed. "Katherine, your mother and I believe it would be best if you stay away from that boy for awhile."

"What?" Katherine jumped to her feet. "Why?"

"Because he is not the kind of boy we raised you to be prancing around with. Him or his friends."

"You're talking about him like he's below us." Katherine said accusingly.

"Well, in some ways, he is. And-"

"He is not below us in anyway, Dad!" Katherine's voice was slowly rising. "Just because he isn't a well off as Darcy or Bill or us, doesn't mean he's nothing."

Pulitzer was talking through his teeth. "Katherine Renee Pulitzer, I will not have this conversation with you now. You have friends, good friends. You don't need to make anymore."

"No, Dad. You made friends and expect me to be friends with their sons." She tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "I can make my own friends, Dad. You can't tell me otherwise."

Pulitzer was a very experienced lawyer, he could usually tell if there was an argument that he wasn't going to win. This was one of those arguments. He let out a breath of defeat.

"Just finish your homework, Katherine. You have a lot to do tomorrow." Pulitzer stood up and left her room with a huff.

Katherine took a long relieved breath and closed her door. She yanked off her skirt and blouse that her mother insisted she wear and pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and the largest tee shirt she owned. Much more comfortable. Much more like the others she wanted to join.

She tried her hardest to make a figure in her bed that looked closely enough like her and turned off her lights. She made sure to keep her door unlocked in case her parents wanted to come in and see her "sleeping." Then, as quickly and quietly as she could, Katherine slid out of her room and out the front door before her parents could see she had left.

 _I'm Katherine Plumber,_ Katherine thought as the elevator went down. _I'm going to Stanford in one year. I'm the smartest girl in my grade. And I can be friends with whoever the hell I want to._

* * *

 **And there we go! I promise that I will try to get the next chapter of something up soon, but until then, I hope you like what I have so far.**

 **Newsies forever, second to none!**


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